Former Director of the BBC World Service Nigel Chapman described the service as "the train from hell" and tweeted that pregnant women were having to "fight to get to the loo." He criticised GWR for having "no accountability or management", train staff as being "stroppy" and the service as being "dangerous and unsafe."

Another passenger Ali Swindell wrote on Facebook: "It was actually dangerous. If anyone had a medical emergency there's no way they could have been seen to. You couldn't even lift your arms properly or turn.

"I asked GWR what the limit was for passengers and they said they didn't have a limit.

"This seems crazy to me. In light of what's been happening recently you would have thought they wouldn't fill trains up to the brim."

Another passenger Chrissie Parker wrote: "It's like this every Bank Holiday.

"I had to stand in the toilet on one journey even though I had a seat booked - someone was in it and refused to move.

"They put on enough carriages, but the amount of people travelling is in excess of what the trains /platforms can handle.

"I do think they should do something about it. It's an accident waiting to happen."

Jennifer Brown wrote: "I was on that train. It was unbelievable overcrowding.

"Passengers were saying that the train was fully reserved a month ago, every seat sold."

A spokesman for the British Transport Police said: "We were contacted on Friday, 25 March, by GWR for assistance with a particularly busy service, arriving into Plymouth at 1.11pm.

"Officers helped rail staff direct passengers from the carriages and onto the platform so they could catch another train and continue their journeys."